Reporter Jessica Collier reports that Mount Pisgah in Saranac Lake is open to skiing and snowboarding, but the Big Tupper Ski Area in Tupper Lake doesn’t have enough snow yet to open.

Reporter Kim Smith Dedam reports that a public opinion poll found regional unemployment levels chief among Adirondack Park economic concerns.

Reporter Kim Smith Dedam reports that restoration plans for the Whiteface Veteran’s Memorial Highway is moving forward rapidly with the State Department of Transportation’s goal to have a contractor begin work on April 15th. 

Reporter James Odato reports that three Indian men on trial for allegedly illegally running a casino were cleared of all charges as jurors determined that the matter was a dispute between factions within the St. Regis Mohawk community. 

Writer Eric Anderson writes that Empire State Development has approved $14.5 million in New York State Broadband Grants to extend coverage to nearly 30,000 residents and more than 2,000 businesses in upstate New York. 

Reporter Brian Mann reports that over the last three years, the Regional Economic Development Council created by Gov. Andrew Cuomo has funneled more than $270 million to the North Country and economic development experts say the new mood of energy and optimism is a real accomplishment.

Reporter Jesse McKinley reports that New York is expected to get bad news from the US Census Bureau’s latest population estimates — a continued population slide that is rife with symbolism and that could carry potentially serious economic consequences in coming years.

Reporter Brian Mann reports that big questions are surfacing — especially with the millions of dollars being directed to the Adirondack region by the state for economic development — as to how effective the money has been and will be in in sparking new jobs and new private sector growth.

Reporter Brian Nearing reports that most Adirondack residents support the Adirondack Club and Resort, according to a new poll paid for by ADK Works. 

Reporter Brian Mann lists the top 10 stories of the year for the Adirondacks, including the arrival of the Adirondack Challenge; the NYCO land swap; economic development grants, and the approval of the Finch land deals. 

The Denton Publications editorial board praises Gov. Andrew Cuomo for bringing attention and investment money to the Adirondack region. 

Reporter Phil Brown reports that based on an initial poll, opponents to Proposition 5 didn’t pick up many converts. What’s unclear is whether opponents didn’t have the money to mount a campaign or supporters won on the facts. 

A staff report notes that a new study has found a connection between lower testosterone levels in Native American boys along New York’s St. Lawrence River and the exposure to PCBs.

Reporter Paul Post reports that in the Adirondacks, the movie theaters are facing their own crisis: They must change their equipment to digital projection or risk closing their doors forever. 

Reporter Susan Mende reports that a state tax commission plan to offer rebates to school district taxpayers has officials in the North Country worried that they might have to cut deeper into programs that have already been cut back in the last several years. 

Reporter James Odato reports that if US Attorney Preet Bharara is successful in getting pensions of former corrupt City Council officials redirected to pay off restitution to the government, it may be his first step in stopping other retirement systems benefiting convicted politicians.

The Associated Press reports that Dr. Dan O’Keeffe of Glens Falls is considering creating a New York state museum of skiing in North Creek. 

Reporter Jessica Collier reports that State officials are pushing an accelerated timeline for the project that would overhaul the Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway.

Reporter Jimmy Vielkind reports that the governor’s official Mandate Relief Council received only four requests to roll back state laws that affect localities and recommended action on just one of them.

Reporter Thom Randall reports that the use of rock salt coated with a gooey natural distillery residue for spreading on local roadways is believed to be curbing environmental degradation while reducing corrosion to vehicles and village infrastructure.

Writer Casey Seiler, Capitol bureau chief in the Office of Mental Health writes Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the Greater Binghamton Health Center and Elmira Psychiatric Center will remain open to provide adults and children’s services to the local communities. 

Reporter Don Lehman reports that the state Department of Health has awarded four Adirondack nursing homes $7.1 million to use over the next two years to cut losses and explore how to share services and potentially merge under one operator.

Reporter Jamie Munks reports that two survey boats are patrolling Lake George and are collecting data as part of the giant Jefferson Project, which officials say will make Lake George the “smartest” lake in the world.

A staff report notes that it was always about striking a balance and to the credit of Adirondack Park Agency Commissioners, that is exactly what the new land-use plan put forth for the Essex Chain of Lakes does.
 

A staff report congratulates the state Adirondack Park Agency staff for forging, with great difficulty, a delicate and hard-earned balance in classifying new state lands long owned by the Finch, Pruyn timber company.

A staff report notes that the Adirondack Museum has been awarded a $1.4 million grant, through the Regional Economic Development Council and Empire State Development, for its new Exhibition Master Plan to preserve and share the Adirondack story with thousands of new visitors. 

A staff report notes that 116, 725 is the number of New York state snowmobile registrations in the 2012-13 season, an increase of almost 26,300 from the previous season. 

Reporter Jacob Tierney reports that Clarkson University’s Shipley Center for Innovation has been named one of five state “Innovation Hot Spots,” earning $250,000 to help launch 50 startups from across the north country in 2014. 

Reporter Keith Lobdell reports that the Adirondack Park Agency Board of Commissioners opted for option 2A when classifying the former Finch land.  The option called for a mix of land classifications, creating five new Forest Preserve Units and a multi-use Wild Forest corridor between the Primitive and Wilderness Units.

Reporter Casey Seiler reports that Gov. Andrew Cuomo previewed his 2014 legislative agenda at a news conference, saying that job creation, tax policy and public ethics reform are on the top of his list.

Reporter Brian Mann reports that the Adirondack Park Agency voted Friday to create a vast new 24,000-acre wilderness and primitive area along a remote stretch of the upper Hudson River.  Of note: Similar articles ran in the Adirondack Almanack and Hamilton County Express. 

Reporter Don Lehman reports that Horicon Supervisor Ralph Bentley retires Dec. 31, leaving behind a legacy of a new town hall/community center and a new town highway garage with no town debt for either building. 

Reporter Chris Knight reports that the State Adirondack Park Agency commissioners classified 42,000 acres of state land in the central Adirondacks on Friday, heralding their decision as a compromise that protects the environment and creates new opportunities for public recreation.

Reporter Pete Nelson reports that when it comes to major issues that impact the future of the Adirondacks this year has been one of the most event-filled in decades, yet, he feels one big issue has not been addressed. Without saying what that is, he would like to poll readers to find out if they know also. 

The Associated Press reports that State transportation officials are holding a public information meeting Wednesday night regarding the Cuomo administration’s plans for a $12 million road project on Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks.

Reporter Chris Knight reports that the story of one of the most important historic sites in the Adirondack Park is being told anew, the former mining village of Adirondac which is in the first phase of being preserved.

A staff report notes that Brian Houseal, Executive Director of the Adirondack Council from 2002 to 2012, has been named Director of SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s Adirondack Ecological Center in Newcomb. 

Reporter Kim Smith Dedam reports that the Adirondack Park Agency commissioners are expected to vote on 10 resolutions set to classify the new state land today. 

Reporter Chris Knight reports that the state Adirondack Park Agency Board of Commissioners is expected to vote today on a recommendation by its staff to establish a 23,000-acre wilderness area around the Hudson River Gorge and a 9,800-acre primitive area that includes the Essex Chain of Lakes.  The decision will be one of the most closely watched votes by the agency board in years. 

Reporter Michael Anich reports that Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a third round of regional economic development awards totaling $716 million statewide, including money for projects in Fulton, Montgomery and Hamilton counties.

Editor, Phil Brown writes that the Adirondack Park Agency board will vote today on a staff recommendation to create a 23,494-acre Hudson Gorge Wilderness Area and a 9,894-acre Essex Chain Primitive Area with two motor-free tracts separated by a snowmobile corridor that will enable riders to travel between the hamlets of Indian Lake and Newcomb.

Reporter Thom Randall reports that the Town of Lake George held a public hearing on December 12, in order to make changes in the way transient merchants are regulated under town law with hopes to make amendments to the Town’s zoning code.

A staff report notes that the Adirondack Park is divided between three different regional economic development councils — and yesterday in Albany all three of those groups received extra grant funding from state officials. 

Reporter Shaun Kittle reports that It will be another month before the Adirondack Club and Resort lawsuit can move forward.

Reporter Brian Mann reports the Adirondack Park Agency has begun final deliberations into the future of the Finch Pruyn timberlands. Roughly 40,000 acres in the central Adirondacks are slated to be classified tomorrow. 

A staff report notes that the big news across this region today is about money, and local hopes for what state support will do for the North Country communities.

Editor Phil Brown writes that the Adirondack Park Agency began deliberations Wednesday on the classification of the former Finch, Pruyn lands, with staff members explaining why the agency’s staff settled on a Primitive classification for the Essex Chain Lakes.  However, some questions were left unanswered.

Reporter Chris Knight reports that the new owners of the Hotel Saranac are wasting no time moving forward with their plan to bring the historic and iconic building back to its former grandeur.

Reporter Thomas Kaplan reports that Gov. Andrew Cuomo accepted from his second tax commission a package of proposals that reduce some property, estate and business taxes next year, which is also when he runs for re-election. The report is expected to be the cornerstone of a battle next year in the state Legislature. 

Editor of the Adirondack Almanack, Phil Brown writes that although the Adirondack Park Agency staff has recommended keeping most of the Essex Chain Tract motor-free, it would allow a snowmobile trail to cross the Essex Chain Primitive Area and the Hudson Gorge Wilderness Area, raising a number of legal and policy questions. 

Writer Peter Bauer writes that the local government leaders in western Adirondacks have tried for years to expand the use of public roads and public lands for All Terrain Vehicle recreational use and for more than a decade local residents have repeatedly gone to court to stop aggressive local and county governments from illegally opening public roads to All Terrain Vehicle riding. 

Reporter Kim Smith Dedam reports that the pending sale of Crescent Bay Marina in Harrietstown to LS Marina LLC,  will mean a renovation and redevelopment of the historic shoreline property. 

Reporter Brian Mann reports that the Adirondack Park Agency plans to vote this week on land classification for thousands of acres of former Finch Pruyn land. Details of the proposal were unveiled on Friday, drawing a mixed reaction from environmental groups and a generally positive review from an advocate for more motorized access to state land in the Adirondacks.  Of note: Similar articles appeared in The Adirondack Almanack, Adirondack Daily Enterprise and Times Union. 

Reporter Dan Heath reports that Whiteface Mountain is one of three ski resorts in the United States listed among Smarter Travel’s 10 Best International Ski Destinations.

Various sources report that the New York state regulators have scheduled deliberations next week on classifying how the woodlands and waterways in the towns of Indian Lake, Minerva and Newcomb that were acquired by the state from The Nature Conservancy, which bought the land from the Finch, Pruyn timber company in 2007 can be used. 

Reporter Don Lehman reports that Lake George Association, Warren County Soil & Water Conservation District, the towns of Bolton and Queensbury and Warren County worked together to put in 14 new concrete “dry wells” to catch stormwater before it gets into Lake George. 

Staff Writer Shaun Kittle writes that the Adirondack Residents Intent on Saving their Economy hosted a business incubator tour with focus on improving the economy of Tupper Lake by getting young entrepreneurs to set up shop.

Reporter Amanda May Metzger reports that the 101-foot “monopine” Verizon Wireless cell tower planned for a site near the golf course at Top of the World Golf Resort in Queensbury won’t be a “frankenpine.”

Reporter Phil Brown reports that college students have come up with another option to be considered by the Adirondack Park Agency for the classification of the Essex Chain Tract that would enable the property to be used and protected. 

The Associated Press reports that an 18-member commission has been established by New York state to improve health care systems for preventive, medical, behavioral and long-term care for the communities across northern New York. Of note: The Wall Street Journal, Watertown Daily Times and Daily Gazette all ran versions of this story. 

Reporter Jamie Munks reports that the Lake George Park Commission has approved revised regulations for a mandatory boatwashing and inspection program.

Reporter Scott Waldman reports that more than a dozen municipalities have received state approval to spread fracking byproduct on their roads, despite a moratorium on fracking in New York State.

Reporter Rebecca Madden reports that E.J. Noble/Canton-Potsdam hospitals will receive $2 million in state funding to expand the services offered by the health care companies. The grant is part of the state’s Vital Access/Safety Net Provider Program.

Reporters Thomas Kaplan and Jesse McKinley report that the Moreland Commission’s report reveals striking examples of "transactional expectations" between lobbyists and lawmakers. 

Reporter Thomas Kaplan reports that the Moreland Commission investigating public corruption has issued its report saying it found evidence of probable wrongdoing in state government. The report recommends a menu of suggestions for discouraging corruption, including overhauling campaign finance laws. 

Reporter Thom Randall reports that Gore Mountain Ski Center is planning to install 100 new high efficiency snow guns which is expected to not only enhance family skiing opportunities, but increase the use of the North Creek Ski Bowl and boost the economy of merchants and lodging accommodations downtown.